EDITORIAL. 
423 
ary profession of the country to show these gentlemen, well 
meaning though their intentions may be, that there are enough 
veterinarians in good standing in the country to manage their own 
affairs without being interfered with or advised by others whose 
interests might be interpreted as being more in behalf of their 
monthly publication than in that of the profession. Above all, 
we deem it to be the duty of all those who already belong to the 
United States Veterinary Medical Association, which is a national 
veterinary medical institution, now in its. twenty-second year of 
existence, and who as members of the newly formed State Asso¬ 
ciations may be present at this intended National Convention— 
if it takes place—to protest against the formation of any new 
association, and if their claims be ignored, to withdraw from an 
organization which could not have a national character, being 
represented only by delegates of but little more than a half- 
dozen States. And, last of all, it seems to us also necessary for 
the present officers of the United States Veterinary Medical 
Association to take the necessary steps to protect the interests of 
the body they represent by all the means possible. 
If any good can be derived from the intended convention, all 
that can be expected is that more veterinarians can be induced to 
send their names for admission to membership to the old Associa¬ 
tion, and by thus having a larger number of representatives in the 
different States, the meetings could be held in places other than 
those where it has been found necessary to have them, so far, on 
account of the limited’number of members belonging to it that 
reside outside of the Eastern States. 
The constitution of the United States Veterinary Medical 
Association authorizes the call of a special meeting under special 
provisions. We consider it a duty of the officers of that Associa¬ 
tion to call such a meeting; to invite the delegates of the veterin¬ 
ary associations now organized, to be present, and to meet at an 
early date in a central city of the Union, Cincinnati, for instance, 
or, still better, in the Capital of the United States at Washing¬ 
ton. 
